A two-meter section of the Great Wall of China in the northwest of China collapsed as a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9, the Global Times reported.

On January 8, a strong earthquake hit Menyuan Hui Autonomous County, Qinghai Province. Th authorities organized an inspection of the state of cultural heritage sites in the region affected by seismic activity. Inspectors discovered a collapsed section of the Great Wall of China in Shandan County in neighboring Gansu province. The collapse occurred 114 km from the epicenter of the earthquake.

The collapsed part of the wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The restorers have already erected a protective structure in this area and have begun restoration work.

The Great Wall of China is a series of defensive structures in northern China and southern Mongolia. Such walls in China have been erected since ancient times to protect against the raids of nomads. It is believed that the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC) united them into a single fortification system. The longest and best-preserved part of the wall was built during the Ming era (1368-1644). It stretches for about 8,850 km from the northeastern Liaoning province to the northwestern Gansu province.